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Even if you assume 4 people per car, cars still wouldn't work as well as the subway does for moving people. The original post is an interesting perspective on h

Even if you assume 4 people per car, cars still wouldn't work as well as the subway does for moving people. The original post is an interesting perspective on how important the subways are to NYC, nothing more. Interesting mildly off-topic side-note (gathered from 'The World Without Us'): if the systems responsible for actively pumping water from the subway system were to shut down, the subways would be flooded in about 2-3 days (since they're well below the water table of the surrounding Hudson and East Rivers). http://www.worldwithoutus.com/did_you_know.html http://www.worldwithoutus.com/did_you_know.html

skorgu 17y ago
As much hate as the subway gets when they get shut down from the rain a little context yields a lot more understanding: "We move 13 million gallons of water a day when it’s not raining." Mind boggling that any of it works at all.
- ilyak 17y ago
  What? Does NYC subway really shut down because of the rain?
  - VolatileVoid 17y ago
    No, but they do, typically, operate at lower speeds. In really, really bad storms (like on 8/8/2007), the subway can shut down. On 8/8/07, 3 inches of rain fell in one hour, and a tornado hit Brooklyn, causing most subway lines to be severely delayed or completely shut down.
  - arantius 17y ago
    Rarely, yes. It takes a pretty serious storm, but I've seen service interrupted due to rain within this past year. This year has had record rainfall. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/nyregion/01hot.html http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/nyregion/01hot.html "One reason for the record-breaking low temperatures was the record-breaking rainfall and accompanying cloud cover. The deluge of more than 16 inches (twice the average amount) made it the second wettest June and July on record, edging 1928. The wettest June and July was 1975, with more than 19 inches." (First reference I could Google up.)
lsb 17y ago
No, I completely agree! I think that, for example, London has been more aggressive in removing the number of cars on the roads; even still, there are traffic jams galore. There was a study about how building more than 3 lanes of highway did nothing to reduce congestion, because more people then just drove. (It's hilarious that you'd need as many tunnels into the CBD as West-East streets!)

skorgu 17y ago

As much hate as the subway gets when they get shut down from the rain a little context yields a lot more understanding: "We move 13 million gallons of water a day when it’s not raining." Mind boggling that any of it works at all.

ilyak 17y ago
What? Does NYC subway really shut down because of the rain?
- VolatileVoid 17y ago
  No, but they do, typically, operate at lower speeds. In really, really bad storms (like on 8/8/2007), the subway can shut down. On 8/8/07, 3 inches of rain fell in one hour, and a tornado hit Brooklyn, causing most subway lines to be severely delayed or completely shut down.
- arantius 17y ago
  Rarely, yes. It takes a pretty serious storm, but I've seen service interrupted due to rain within this past year. This year has had record rainfall. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/nyregion/01hot.html http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/nyregion/01hot.html "One reason for the record-breaking low temperatures was the record-breaking rainfall and accompanying cloud cover. The deluge of more than 16 inches (twice the average amount) made it the second wettest June and July on record, edging 1928. The wettest June and July was 1975, with more than 19 inches." (First reference I could Google up.)

lsb 17y ago

No, I completely agree! I think that, for example, London has been more aggressive in removing the number of cars on the roads; even still, there are traffic jams galore. There was a study about how building more than 3 lanes of highway did nothing to reduce congestion, because more people then just drove. (It's hilarious that you'd need as many tunnels into the CBD as West-East streets!)